A bong, technically known as a water pipe, was first used (and named) centuries ago by the Hmong people in Laos and Thailand, as a natural filtration device made from bamboo for smoking tobacco ...

In a small street-side cafe deep within Hanoi’s labyrinthine Old Quarter, a group of middle-aged men sit drinking bitter iced tea, swapping stories, and smoking from a huge bamboo water pipe.

are water pipes used to smoke cannabis. They’ve been around for centuries. The word bong is said to have come from the Thai word “baung” for a bamboo tube used for smoking weed. Today’s ...